I remember my last trip to Bordeaux, just a few weeks back, where the hot topic of conversation centred around the effects of global warming, the monster marketing of natural and organic wines, or how the introduction of bats on the vineyard can take the vineyard to the next step in becoming fully sustainable. Top winemakers the world over are passionate people, not just in Bordeaux.
Their love for wine and anything wine-related is almost palpable, and that also means their love for food and gourmet. His charisma was magnetic. I was excited to see what wines James had prepared. Living with a pyromaniac, it was often that I would wake to the smell of burning wood coming from downstairs. My dad would fire up the fireplace on most cold January mornings, whilst my mum would invariably rush to remove the nearby woollen carpets, before the excited shrapnel would shoot out of the fireplace and fly all over the place.
The huge fireplace at Angludet was the main attraction of the dining-room where only a round, expertly-laid table and sideboard were placed in front of it. James, or Jimmy as he preferred being called, brought the wine over to the table. This dry, white wine surprisingly punched way above its weight in terms of complexity, structure and finesse. The wine, partly matured in oak barrels, was rich in flavour, yet fresh enough to whet our appetite. The foie gras was rich and pure in flavour whilst the cured meat perfectly elevated the dish due to the saltiness cutting through the fattiness of the liver.
This was a classy wine that was ready to drink. The tannins were grippy at first, but quickly softened to reveal the pure and focused fruit supported by flavours of cedar, slight pencil-shavings and supple earthy flavours.
The wine was drinking so perfectly well that an interesting conversation about the underrated vintage ensued. Before we could disagree on anything, two of the most enormous steaks I have ever-seen were brought out and left on the sideboard. James carefully laid them on a rack and placed them on top of the smouldering wood in the fireplace.
